Light in the Dark
by DunktheLunk
Summary: She wasn't just a Mandalorian, and she wasn't just a Jedi. She was something else. Something in between. Something unique. (Set in my Hope In A War AU)
1. Chapter 1

The wind was cold, blowing through her long black hair. The wind also carried a familiar scent. Her mother was making fried Bantha for dinner.

Her mind began to wander, imagining the taste of the Bantha.

"Concentrate Alayna!" A voice snapped, bringing her back to focus. The lightsaber she was supposed to be levitating had dropped a few inches.

"Sorry." Alayna replied, bringing the lightsaber back to eye level.

"You have to be able to focus, while at the same time being aware of what is around you." The voice said. "But at the same time, you can't let the things around you take to much of your focus. That's enough for one day. Come on, your mother almost has dinner ready and I'm hungry."

Alayna opened her eyes and looked up to see her father standing in front of her, holding her lightsaber. He held out his hand and smiled. Alayna smiled back and took his hand. She took her lightsaber as he helped her up off the ground.

"Race you back?" She asked, clipping the double bladed lightsaber to her belt.

"I'll give you a head start." Ezra laughed.

Without hesitation, Alayna took off toward the house in the distance.

"Your mistake old man!" She yelled back.

She had nearly made it to the back door when she heard heavy footfalls approaching. She glanced behind her and saw her father quickly gaining on her. Using the Force, she launched herself toward the door. Just as she did, her mother stepped outside.

"Mom look out!" Alayna yelled, now unable to stop herself.

Sabine casually stepped to the side as her daughter tumbled through the open door.

"Are you...KARKING HELLS EZRA!" She yelled as her husband tackled her through the open door. The two landed next to their daughter, who started laughing. Ezra started laughing too, and eventually Sabine did as well.

"All right you two." Sabine said, standing. "Kanan and Hera will be here in a few minutes, so go get yourselves cleaned up."

Alayna ran up the stairs to her room, nearly tripping over Chopper on the way.

"Yeah yeah, I'm sorry." She said as the droid beeped at her.

Once in her room, she set her lightsaber on her bed, washed her face, and changed into a fresh jumpsuit before putting her armor back on. She looked at herself in the mirror, making sure her armor was on right.

At 16 years old, Alayna Bridger was almost a carbon copy of her mother. The only notable exceptions were her electric blue eyes and her long mess of black hair. The Mandalorian armor she wore only added to the image. It had been her grandfathers, and when he had died a year before, he had left it to her. She had then gone through the process of reworking the armor to fit, just like her mother had when she was young.

But the design was all their armor had in common. Where Sabine's armor was a vibrant mix of colors, Alayna's armor was mostly grey, but highlighted with splatters of blue. She had also incorporated a dark grey colored cloak into the armor to mimic the Jedi battle armor her father usually wore. The cloak also had the same blue splatter pattern, as well as her mother's starbird design in the center.

She wasn't just a Mandalorian, and she wasn't just a Jedi. She was something else. Something in between. Something unique.

She heard a ship and looked out the window to see the Ghost landing in the front yard. She checked herself in the mirror again, then grabbed her lightsaber and headed downstairs. In contrast to her dark colored armor, her lightsaber hilt was a bright white, made from a rare, naturally occurring white metal. She clipped the lightsaber to her belt just as the door opened.

"Jacen!" She exclaimed as a young man walked through the door.

"Hey 'Layna." Jacen replied as she hugged him. "Did you miss me?"

Jacen, 20 years old and a full fledged Jedi Knight, spent most of his days keeping the fragile peace between the New Republic and the remnant factions of the Empire. He was usually gone for months at a time, so Alayna never wasted an opportunity to see him. As Hera and Kanan's only child, he was the closest thing to a brother she had ever had.

Kanan and Hera entered next, and after everyone was settled in, they ate. Alayna loved times like this, when their family could be together.

She didn't realize it would be the last time for a long time.

 **A/N: So I know this was a short chapter, but I'm testing to see how y'all respond. Thanks for reading, please let me know what's good/bad/needs improving.**

 **Also I don't own Star Wars (Idk if we still have to do that, but there it is.)**


	2. Chapter 2

Alayna shot up in her bed, looking around the room. Something was wrong. Something, or rather, someone was in her room. She couldn't see the presence, but she could sense it, standing a few feet away.

"Who's there?" She asked, reaching for her lightsaber.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop, becoming cold enough to make her shiver. This was something bad, something dark. Suddenly, everything began turning black, as if her room was filling was a thick black smoke.

She could hear screaming, blaster fire, and the sound of clashing lightsabers.

A giant hand began to form out of the smoke as she activated one side of her lightsaber. She lunged for the hand, yelling as she slashed it in half.

"Alayna!" He father's voice cut through the smoke.

The smoke and the hand vanished, and Alayna found herself standing in the middle of her room, both sides of her lightsaber activated. In the blueish green light, she could see the sweat dripping off her forehead, and she could tell the shirt she was wearing was soaked as well. She looked at her father, his face illuminated by the white glow of his own lightsaber.

Ezra deactivated his lightsaber and slowly stepped toward his daughter.

"Alayna." He said softly "Put down the lightsaber." He had sensed something dark from his room down the hall, and had come running, lightsaber drawn.

Alayna did as she was asked, shutting off her lightsaber.

"What was that?" She asked.

"I don't know." Ezra replied, putting his arms around her. As he did, Alayna realized she was shaking.

"What are we gonna do?" She asked.

"I don't think there's much we can do." Ezra said. "Whatever it was, it seems like you drove it off." They stood there for a few more minutes, until Alayna calmed down enough to go back to sleep.

Two nights later, it happened again.

But this time was different. This time, there was a hooded man in the smoke, and he spoke to her.

"Alayna Bridger." He said as she jumped out of bed and activated her lightsaber.

"Who are you?" She asked. "What do you want?"

"I want to help you." The man said "I want to build you to your true potential."

"What are you talking about?" Alayna asked.

The man waved a hand, and part of the smoke surrounding them turned into a picture. It was her, a few years older, standing on a mountaintop like she had just won some great victory.

"What is this?" She asked.

"It's what you want." The man replied. "To be more famous than either of your parents. To be powerful."

She knew what the man was talking about. All her life, no matter where they went on Lothal, everybody knew who Ezra and Sabine Bridger were. They were heroes, the ones who had driven the Empire back and saved Lothal. Even some places outside of Lothal, you could find people who recognized the name, if not the individuals.

Over the years, Alayna had unintentionally developed a jealousy of her parents fame.

"Come with me." The man said, stretching out a hand. "It make you more famous than anyone, more powerful than the Emperor. You could rule the Galaxy, and then the truth would be what you made it."

She liked the sound of that. More famous than her parents? That was her dream. She had just started to reach for the hand when a white lightsaber appeared in the man's chest. There was a wild, fading howl of pain as the smoke and man vanished. In its place stood Ezra, his eyes wild, looking for another target.

With a start, Alayna realized what she had almost done, and her legs gave out from under her. Ezra caught her as she fell, dropping his lightsaber.

"Why is this happening to me?" Alayna asked as she buried her face in her father's shoulder and cried.

"I don't know." Ezra replied. "Obviously something out there has its sights on you, and is willing to do whatever to get you."

"But why?" Alayna asked, "What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything." Ezra replied "You're just getting older, and you're getting more powerful. But at your age, you're also prone to temptation. That means dark things will try to influence you to get what they want."

"How do I make them leave me alone?" Alayna asked.

"Training." Ezra said. "Training and meditation. I think you need to spend some time with Kanan."

Alayna nodded, wiping her eyes. "When would I go?" She asked.

"Tomorrow." Ezra replied.

The next day, Alayna said goodbye to her parents, then boarded the Phantom, which Kanan had arrived in to pick her up. As Sabine watched the familiar little ship fly out of sight, Ezra walked past her carrying a supply pack.

"And where do you think you're going?" She asked as he headed for their ship, Knight Hawk.

"Something or someone out there is hunting our daughter." Ezra replied. "I'm going to track it down and run my lightsaber through its kriffing heart if it has one."

As he fired up the ships engines, he looked out the cockpit window and saw his wife running towards the ship, carrying her own pack.

"You didn't think you could just leave me, did you?" Sabine asked as she sat in the copilot seat. "Also if we find this guy, you're gonna have to fight me to kill him first."

 **A/N: Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more!**


	3. Chapter 3

"So you want me to sit here?" Alayna asked. "By myself?"

"No." Kanan replied. "Not sit here. Meditate. Listen to the Force. Whatever this is, it's obviously from the dark side. Focus on the light. Let it guide you."

Alayna watched as the blind Jedi turned and walked out of the room.

"If you need me, I'll be right out here." Kanan said as the door closed.

Alayna sighed and sat cross legged in the middle of the room. Meditation had never been her strongest point. Combat? Sure, she could train with her lightsaber, blasters, jet pack, rockets, and explosives all day long. But meditation? That required her to be still.

"You're just like your father." Kanan had said once. "Ezra never could sit still either."

Alayna closed her eyes, doing her best to concentrate. It seemed just like every other time she tried to meditate. She could see everything in the room, could sense Kanan sitting in a chair just outside the door, but she didn't understand what he had meant by listen.

"You need to block out everything." Kanan's voice broke into her mind. Don't focus on me, or the room. Just focus on the Force."

Alayna took another deep breath, and did as he said. Slowly but surely, everything faded away, and she felt weightless, as if she were floating in space.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting when she felt another presence. It wasn't Kanan, but it wasn't the darkness either. This was light. Almost pure light.

"Ahh, young Bridger." A voice said. "At last, listen to the Force, you do."

Alayna opened her eyes and found herself sitting in empty space. In front of her was a small green figure, sitting cross legged and holding a small cane. She had never seen this figure before, but she had heard her father and Kanan talk about him.

"Master Yoda?" She asked.

The figure nodded. "Looking for answers, are you?" He asked. "Hunt you, dark forces do. For your power, for your strength."

"What do you mean?" She asked "What strength?"

Yoda laughed softly. "Always powerful, you have been." He said. "A unique lineage, you have. Jedi, yes, but Mandalorian also. A powerful combination this is."

"But what is hunting me?" Alayna asked. "And why me? If they want powerful, why not my dad? Why not Kanan or Luke?"

"Easily persuaded, the young mind is." Yoda replied "Learn to focus your mind, to harness the power within, you must."

"How?" Alayna asked. "Travel to Kashyyyk." Yoda said "Find one who can help you, you will."

 _Elsewhere_

"Do you trust this information?" Sabine asked as the ship came out of hyperspace.

"Well, it came from Leia, and I think she got it from Han, so yeah, I trust it." Ezra replied.

They had been searching the galaxy for six days, looking for answers to their daughters problem. In that time, they had chased down two good leads, and found a lot of information. Luke Skywalker had been able to point them in a starting direction with information about an Imperial resurgency group in the shadows of the outer rim. From there, they had destroyed a shipyard and learned about an Imperial project that resembled the Saber Trooper project they had run into years ago.

Now they were headed for the icy wastes of Rhen Var, where their newest information pointed to a training area for these new soldiers, and possibly the answers they were looking for.

They landed their ship near the ancient citadel that they had been told was serving as the training facility. As they made their way carefully across the ice, they heard a scream from inside the citadel. Moving faster, they made their way inside,surprised to find no guards.

They found themselves on a balcony overlooking a large room. Below, there was a circle of seven people wearing black cloaks, chanting some unfamiliar language. In the center was a man, chained to a post.

"What is this?" Sabine whispered.

"I have no idea." Ezra replied. He looked around the rest of the room and saw a group of people in chains huddled against the wall.

"Ez, there's a lot of blood on the ground." Sabine said, pointing to the circle.

"I know." Ezra replied. "This is bad, I think I know what this is."

Before Sabine could respond, there was another scream. They watched as one of the cloaked men pulled out the knife he had stabbed into the mans chest.

Another cloaked man extended his hand, and red lightning appeared between him and the chained man. He pulled his hand back, and a ball of white energy appeared to rip away from the chained man. The cloaked man then turned and shoved the ball of energy into the chest of another cloaked figure, who was held between two more. He collapsed to the ground, then stood and extended his own hand. Ezra and Sabine watched as a large piece of concrete began to levitate.

"Kriff, I was right." Ezra whispered.

"What?" Sabine asked. "What did we just watch?"

"Their sacrificing people, probably Force sensitives." Ezra replied. "It's an ancient dark side ritual, and it's about as dark as they come. They're basically ripping out a person's Force ability and giving it to someone else."

"That's possible?" Sabine asked in horror.

"Like I said, it's darker than dark." Ezra replied. "We have to stop this. It's a good thing you brought a rocket pack."

"Hey, a girls gotta be prepared." Sabine replied with a grin.

They moved along the balcony to a better vantage point, and Sabine prepared to fire her rocket.

"I want the one with the knife alive if possible." Ezra said, "Looks like he's in charge."

Sabine nodded and ducked her head as she fired the rocket. It hit near the center of the group, incinerating three and sending the other four flying.

Ezra activated his lightsaber as he jumped down to the main floor, landing on one man and killing him. The remaining three stood to their feet and drew red lightsabers. Ezra blocked as the closest man charged, then backed away as another tried to circle behind him. He noticed the man with the knife was staying well away, probably looking for an exit.

As he locked lightsabers with one of the men, Ezra heard a familiar sound, followed by a soft thud as Sabine landed behind him, Darksaber in hand. She had reclaimed the ancient Mandalorian weapon years ago after saving a severely injured Bo Katan from pirates. She swung the Darksaber high, blocking a swing from one of the enemies.

Back to back, Ezra sent a message from his mind to Sabine's. She nodded in understanding, and waited for his signal.

"Now!" Ezra shouted.

He pushed back on his opponent, then went to his knees and thrust his lightsaber back and up into the gut of Sabine's opponent. At the same time, Sabine broke her own block and turned and swung high, slashing Ezras opponent across the chest. Both enemies fell to the ground dead.

Sabine helped Ezra up, and the two turned to face the last man, but he was gone. They heard footsteps running down a hallway, and followed the sound outside.

Tripping over his black cloak, he looked up and could see the ship. Tucked away next to an ice shelf, it was his only chance. He was almost there when he heard a jetpack, followed by a cracking blow to the back of the head. When he came too, he was tied up to the sacrifice post, looking at two very angry figures.

"Who are you?" Ezra asked the man "Who do you work for?"

The man began to laugh, but stopped when Ezra hit him across the face with his lightsaber hilt.

"Who is your master?!" Ezra yelled. The man spit blood and looked up at Ezra.

"I will tell you nothing." He said. "You will both die before…"

He was cut off as Ezra began to Force Choke him.

"Ezra!" Sabine cried. "We need him alive."

Ezra released the choke and sighed. "Fine." He said. "I can't get you to talk, but maybe the Mandalorian interrogation specialists of Clan Wren will have better luck."

"Mmm, you're right." Sabine said. "My mother wasn't very happy that you people are threatening her only granddaughter."

The mans face went white as they untied him and carried him to the Knight Hawk.

 **A/N: I know this chapter was kind of dark, but hopefully that won't keep anyone from reading. Hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for more!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Thanks for coming with me Jacen." Alayna said. "I've never really been anywhere by myself before."

"Don't mention it cousin." Jacen replied with a grin. "If something is after you I'm not going to sit around and do nothing. Besides, it's been a while since we've been on one of our adventures."

Alayna smiled and took the controls of the Ghost as it came out of hyperspace. In front of them was Kashyyyk, the forest covered homeworld of the Wookiees.

"So what did Master Yoda say exactly?" Jacen asked as they flew toward the surface.

"Not much." Alayna replied, "He just said there would be someone here that could help me."

"Hmm, I may actually know who we're looking for." Jacen said. "We just have to find him. Let me have the controls and I'll get us there." He landed the Ghost in a village at the base of a giant tree.

"Who are we looking for?" Alayna asked.

"His name is Gungi." Jacen replied. "He was a Wookiee youngling before the Purge, and he hid out on Kashyyyk for years. After the Imperial occupation, he was one of the main leaders of the Wookiee resistance."

"Wow." Alayna said. "He sounds like quite the character."

"He's nice once you get to know him." Jacen said. "The thing is, after the Purge, he doesn't trust anyone too much. I guess that's understandable, but it makes him a pain to find. But I know someone who can find him."

They walked through the village toward a large central building. Alayna could hear raised voices inside, as well as the distinctive Wookiee grunts and growls.

"That sounds interesting." Alayna said as Jacen opened the door. Inside they found two Wookiees that seemed to be in an argument with two men and another Wookiee.

"I understand, but we can't just attack Trandosha without the Fleet." One of the men said. "And you and I both know the Senate will never approve use of force, especially with an Imperial remnant fleet two systems away."

One of the Wookiees roared, and the Wookiee next to the men roared back.

"General Solo." Jacen said, interrupting the argument. "Glad to see you're still working for the Republic."

"Syndulla." The man replied, turning to face them. "What are you doing here? I assume they sent you to watch me?"

"Surprisingly no." Jacen laughed "But you are being watched, I'll tell you that. No I'm here to see Tarrjin."

A large, dark haired Wookiee stepped forward and growled.

"It's good to see you too." Jacen replied. "I need to talk to Gungi, can you take us to him?"

The Wookiee looked from Jacen to Alayna, then grunted and turned toward the door. As they followed the Wookiee out the door, Jacen turned back to the others.

"Chewie, don't let him do something stupid." He said.

Another Wookiee roared in agreement, and Jacen turned back to follow Alayna and Tarrjin. They walked through the jungle for what felt like hours, until they came to the base of one of the massive worshyr trees that dominated the landscape. Their guide pointed to a ladder carved into the side of the tree and growled.

"Thank you Tarrjin." Jacen said.

The Wookiee nodded and turned back down the path they had taken. Jacen looked at Alayna, then at the ladder.

"Do you want to go first?" He asked.

"Age before beauty." Alayna laughed.

It didn't take long for the two young Jedi to reach the small platform carved into one of the massive branches of the tree. There, they found a door leading into the tree itself. As Jacen reached to knock, the door swung open.

"Guess they're expecting us." Alayna said.

They entered and walked down a long hallway, eventually coming to a large room. There they found two figures sitting on the floor meditating. One was a large Wookiee, the other was covered by a white cloak.

"Ahsoka?" Jacen asked, recognizing the cloaked figure. "I thought you were still in Wild Space."

"I heard you had a problem." Ahsoka replied. "Or rather, Alayna here has a problem."

Alayna had only met Ahsoka a few times, but Kanan and Ezra had often talked about her, usually when telling stories about the Republic or the Rebellion.

"Can you help me?" Alayna asked.

"I think I can." Ahsoka replied. "But it won't be fast and it won't be easy."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Alayna asked.

 _Krownest_

Ezra heard footsteps approaching in the soft snow and opened his eyes. Surprisingly, he found Ursa Wren, his mother in law and leader of Clan Wren.

"Good morning Ursa." Ezra said. "What brings you out here?" They were almost half a mile from the Wren compound at the top of a cliff. He liked the spot for its seclusion, and it's distance from the general Mandalorian dislike of Jedi.

"I needed to talk to you." Ursa replied "It concerns the prisoner you brought us."

They had dragged the cultist from Rhen Var straight to Krownest. As soon as they had arrived, the interrogation specialists of Clan Wren had set to work. That had been three days ago, and Ezra was surprised the man was still able to talk.

"May I sit?" Ursa asked.

"It's your planet." Ezra replied, gesturing to a rock next to the one he was sitting on.

Ursa sat, and for a moment, she was silent. Ezra remembered the first time he had an actual conversation with Ursa, on the day they had brought Alayna to Krownest for the first time. She had always intimidated him, but over time she had come to accept him. He was still a little intimidated though.

"We got him talking." Ursa said finally. "Though I'm afraid he's missing a few parts now."

"What did he say?" Ezra asked, sitting forward.

"Unfortunately, not much we didn't already know." Ursa replied. "His group are Sith cultists, following a "new master" in the Unknown Region. This isn't the first time I've heard of this either. There are rumors of an Imperial splinter running around Wild Space near the Samix Sector. They're a powerful group and are apparently led by a Sith, or someone claiming to be."

"Does Skywalker know about this group?" Ezra asked. He was concerned that 'claiming to be' might actually be true. The last thing the Galaxy needed was a Sith resurgency.

"He does, but unfortunately he either can't or won't do anything." Ursa replied. "But maybe you can. I have information about a lone planet in Wild Space that this group is apparently using as a base."

"That sounds worth checking out." Ezra said, standing.

"Before I give you this information, you have to promise me one thing." Ursa said. "When you find whoever or whatever is hunting my granddaughter, I want that animal's head on a spike."

 **A/N Hope you enjoyed, and as always, thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Apologize for being gone so long, but here's the nex chapter, hope y'all enjoy.**

"What I'm about to tell you is probably going to confuse you." Ahsoka said. "To beat an enemy like this, you need to dig deep into the Force. Search the past for answers, let those who have passed on guide you."

"How?" Alayna asked.

"Meditation." Ahsoka said.

Alayna groaned in frustration. "That's what Kanan told me to do, and that's how I ended up here." She said.

"Just trust me." Ahsoka said with a laugh. "This tree is a rare Force amplifier. Meditating here will give you a much deeper connection with the Force."

"Okay." Alayna sighed as she sat. She closed her eyes, trying her best to focus.

"Breath Alayna." Ahsoka said calmly. "Point where you want to go, and the Force will get you there."

Alayna took a deep breath, and almost immediately she felt a shift. She opened her eyes and Ahsoka was gone, as was the room. Instead, she was in a circular room with large windows on three sides.

"Who are you?" A young voice asked behind her. She turned and found a small boy, probably about seven.

"My name is Alayna." She replied. "Who are you?"

"Obi-Wan." The boy replied.

"Obi Wan…" Alayna trailed off. "Like Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the famous Jedi?"

"I wish I was a Master." The boy said. "That way Master Qui-Gon can't tell me when I can eat."

"You didn't need to eat any more chocolate and you know it Obi-Wan." A man said as he stepped into the room. "Run along to the Archives, Alayna and I have things to discuss."

"Yes master." The boy said obediently.

"Who are you?" Alayna asked.

"My name is Qui-Gon Jinn." The man said. "I've come to help guide you through all of this."

"What do you mean?" Alayna asked

"Training" Qui-Gon replied. "Walk with me, and I'll explain."

Alayna followed him out the door and into a large corridor with windows on one side looking out over a sprawling city.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"This is the Jedi Temple on Courscant." Qui-Gon said "Before the Empire."

"So what is this training, and why does everyone keep telling me I need more of it?" Alayna asked.

"The enemy you face is unlike anything a Jedi has encountered in over five thousand years." Qui-Gon said. "He's as cunning as he is powerful, and controls much of the old Empire through fear and manipulation."

"But who is it?" Alayna asked "Everyone keeps telling me about this enemy but nobody will tell me who I'm fighting or why."

Qui-Gon sighed. "I know the answer to both of those questions, but there is someone else here who can explain it better." He said

"Who?" Alayna asked as Qui-Gon opened another door.

She stepped through and found herself in a large room. In the center of the room, a Jedi in all white robes and a mask was gracefully swinging a purple lightsaber at training droids.

"Revan." Qui-Gon said "There's someone here to see you."

The white robed man stopped his training and turned to them, removing his mask. "I was wondering when you would arrive." He said.

"I'll leave you to it." Qui-Gon said. "When you're finished, come find me again."

"Hello Alayna." Revan said. "You have questions, and I hope I can answer them."

"Yes" Alayna replied "What the kriff is going on. Who or what is trying to hurt me and for karking sakes WHY?!"

Revan smiled a little as she yelled the last word.

"You remind me of myself." He said. "So impatient, ready to get into the fight. But if you want to know what's happening, you'll have to bear with me for a moment."

Revan proceeded to tell her his story, from the Mandalorian Wars to his fall to the Dark Side, and his eventual redemption. He also told her of the ancient Sith Emperor, who had the power to transfer his conscious from one body to the next, essentially living forever.

"So this Emperor is what's chasing me?" Alayna asked.

"Yes and no." Revan said. "He is the ancient Emperor, but because he was almost completely destroyed on Yavin, he doesn't have the full memories of the old Emperor. Some poor soul stumbled across a piece of it, and was consumed."

"But why does it want me?" Alayna asked.

"For your power." Revan said. "His goal is to restore his power, and to do that he needs a suitable host. You are an extremely powerful Jedi, but you have a key weakness that I believe has already been explained to you."

"I'm young." Alayna said.

Revan nodded. "Now you must learn to defend against that weakness." He said. "But I cannot teach you that. Head back out and Qui-Gon will…"

Suddenly, Alayna found herself back in reality. Jacen had pushed her to the floor as dust and debris rained down on them.

"Sorry cousin." Jacen said. "But we've got a problem."

There was a loud boom as they picked themselves up and headed back to the main room of the tree. Alayna looked through the large opening in the tree, and her heart sank as six black and silver ships descended towards them.

 **A/N As always, please let me know what you liked, didn't like, and things I can improve on for the future.**


	6. Chapter 6

So she actually asked you to do something for her?" Sabine asked, still amazed hours later.

"For the millionth time, yes." Ezra replied with a laugh.

"Sorry." Sabine laughed, "Its just...wow. I never thought I'd see the day when my mother asked a Jedi a favor."

"I'm just glad she's starting to warm up to me after all these years." Ezra said. "You Mandalorians can be stubborn when it comes to Jedi."

Sabine laughed and stood from her seat. She walked over and sat in Ezras lap, smiling at him.

"Yeah, but that works two ways." she said. "I'm stubborn about loving you just as much as shes stubborn about hating you."

"And I'm glad." Ezra laughed as he kissed her.

Sabine couldn't help but grin as she kissed him back. They were getting older, but that spark they had developed as teens was still there. Sabine closed her eyes and leaned back into Ezras arms.

"Do you think she's okay?" She asked.

"Alayna?" Ezra said, "She's our daughter, so I don't know. But she's got Jacen with her, so I'm sure she's fine."

Alayna was not fine

She swung her lightsaber upward, slashing the last enemy from stomach to forehead. The black clad figure dropped to its knees, then fell backwards onto the ground. Breathing hard, she looked around for Jacen.

"Jacen?" She called, starting to get worried. There had been an explosion, probably a missile, but in the heat of battle she hadn't seen Jacen.

She watched as the last ship turned and tried to fly away, only to be destroyed as a Wookiee ship blasted it from above.

"Alayna!" Jacen called from somewhere up high. There was a soft thud as Jacen landed on his feet next to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Alayna said.

"You're shaking kiddo." Jacen said softly.

"Am I?" Alayna asked, looking at her hands.

They were shaking, and she could feel her heart racing. As she looked, her eyes focused passed her hands and on the black cloaked body of the man she had almost completely gutted with her lightsaber. Looking past that man, she saw the four others she and Jacen had killed lying mangled on the ground.

"Alayna!" Jacen cried in alarm as she collapsed to her knees.

"I...I killed them." She said, crying as Jacen brought her back to her feet and wrapped her in a hug. "I've never killed anyone before."

"I know." Jacen said softly "Shh, it's over now."

"How...how many have you killed?" Alayna asked.

There was a long silence before Jacen spoke.

"Honestly, I don't know." He said finally. "I used to know, but after the border skirmishes a few years ago, I just...lost count."

"Does it get easier?" Alayna asked.

"No." Jacen replied. "I'm not gonna lie, it doesn't. But you learn to accept it eventually, and it's not as bad."

Alayna took a deep breath, trying her best to keep it together.

"What now?" She asked.

"Well, you should probably continue meditation." Jacen said. "Although I think it's a bad idea to stay here much longer."

"Alright." Alayna said "But where will we go?"

As the words left her mouth, she saw an image flash in front of her. White barren wasteland, with a large domed city. And near the city, a small ridge with caves leading deep underground.

The image shifted, and she was, inside the domed city, standing in front of a smiling young man in black and orange Mandalorian armor. The sight filled her with a mix of hope and dread.

"Never mind." She said "I know where we're going."

 **A few days later**

"Are you sure about things?" Jacen asked. "Last time you saw him, you said you would, and I quote, rip out his guts and feed them to a Nexu while he watched if you were ever in the same system."

"I was thirteen!" Alayna cried, defending herself.

"Besides, he deserved it. Plus I've seen him since then anyway."

As they came out of hyperspace, Alayna looked out the window and took a deep breath. Mandalore. She hated coming here, she was always treated differently. People liked her, but kept a distance. She felt out of place. It was worse when her father came with her.

"Well, he's the next ruler of Mandalore." Jacen said. "So please, I'm begging you, keep your cool."

"We won't even see him, but yeah, I will." Alayna laughed.

The Ghost glided through the atmosphere, and over the large domed city she had seen. As they did, Alayna's mind began to wander.

The city was Sundari, capital of Mandalore and home to Kallin Kryze. He was the son of the current ruler of Mandalore, and had been Alayna's crush since she could remember. Tall, strong, red haired, and quick witted, she had been obsessed with him, until she saw him kissing another girl. She had fumed in her teenage-hormone fueled rage for almost a year, but that had eventually passed. Since then, she had only seen him a few times, and usually for only a few seconds.

She came back to reality as the Ghost touched down at the base of a cliff. There were several caves leading in, but she knew which one she needed.

She could feel it.

They left the Ghost and made their way to the cave. Inside, they found a large stone with ancient writing carved into it.

"Are you sure about this?" Jason asked.

"Yes." Alayna replied.

She took a deep breath, then reached out with the Force. The writing on the stone began to glow, then turned. As it did, part of the cave wall slid aside, revealing a doorway.

Alayna looked at Jacen, and they both activated their lightsabers. They stepped through the door, using their lightsabers like torches. The blueish green color of Alayna's saber mixed with the gold color of Jacen's, creating a strange light. Across the floor was a spiral pattern, leading to a raised platform. That's where she needed to be.

"Alright." She said. "Here goes nothing. Hopefully they won't find us again."

"I'll watch your back." Jacen said. "But be fast."

Alayna nodded, then sat cross legged on the platform. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and she felt herself being pulled back into the Force.

 **A/N: As always, thanks for reading the story. I'm out of school now, so this should pick back up soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

Jacen watched as his cousin meditated. She was becoming stronger every day, probably driven by the need to protect herself from this enemy. Poor kid. Nobody should ever have to go through something like this. She was the closest thing he had to a sister, and it made him angry that someone wanted to hurt her.

His grip tightened on his still active lightsaber. He didn't expect trouble, but he was smart enough to realize it might come for them. Hours went by, and Alayna just sat there, unmoving. Only her breathing changed every once in a while.

Suddenly, Jacen heard the unmistakable sound of a ship, or rather ships, landing outside the cave. He ran to the entrance and sure enough, three ships were landing just in front of the Ghost. Jacen turned and quickly closed the entrance to the cave, then stepped out into the hot Mandalorian sun. The golden blade of his lightsaber hummed in front of him as a black cloaked figure stepped out of the first ship. He was quickly followed by two more. Above them, another large transport ship circled. Jacen had no doubt that it carried more of these Sith, or whatever they were. The first man approached him as the others stopped and activated their lightsabers.

"Stand aside or die, Jedi scum." The man said. "No matter how far you run, we will always find her."

"Leave her alone!" Jacen yelled. "Why do you want her so badly?"

"Our master requires her, and her power." The man replied.

"What power?" Jacen asked. "Everyone keeps talking about this power that she has. What makes her so special?"

"You really don't know, do you?" The man asked. "Of course not, why would you? It's her family. The power found in her family tree."

"What do you mean?" Jacen asked. "What's in her family tree?"

 **Alayna**

Alayna opened the door in front of her and found herself in a massive room. All around her were glowing shelves of holo books. There were a few people walking around, and a few more looking at computer screens

"Woah." She said in awe.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Qui Gon said, appearing beside her. "Welcome to the Archives. Before the Empire, this room held more knowledge than any place in the known Galaxy. If a Jedi had a problem, they would usually start their search for answers here."

"But where do I start?" Alayna asked.

"Where does your gut tell you?" Qui Gon replied.

Alayna closed her eyes and let instinct guide her hand. She looked up to where she was pointing, and approached the shelf. She repeated the process until she found the holo book she needed. Qui Gon showed her to a computer where she could read the data, and she sat down and began to read. She read for what seemed like hours, until she came across some information that caught her eye.

"The family tree of Bastila Shan." She read aloud. "Who's Bastila Shan?"

"She was my wife." Revan said, appearing next to Qui Gon. "When they discovered we had a child, they decided to keep tabs on our family tree. Just like they do with all powerful Jedi who have children."

"Why?" Alayna asked.

"Because powerful Jedi breed powerful Jedi." Qui Gon said. "They wanted to ensure that power never fell to the dark."

Intrigued, Alayna began to read. With nearly 4000 years worth of descendants, it took her awhile to reach the bottom of the list. Suddenly, she stopped, and her eyes widened as she read the name in front of her.

 **Jacen**

Jacen blocked another swing, then used the momentum to kill yet another Sith. Breathing hard, he looked around him. There were still twenty enemies left. He had been right about the transport ship. Now they were toying with him, sending one man at a time. He strength was was starting to go, but he could feel something keeping him going. No, not something, someone. He raised his lightsaber again as another man stepped forward.

Suddenly, there was a high pitched whistle, followed by two large explosions that killed half of the Sith. Through the smoke flew five Mandalorian warriors, all wearing the distinctive orange and black of the new Royal Guard. While the man in front of him was distracted, Jacen lunged and drove his lightsaber into the man's chest. More explosions rattled the ground as the Mandalorians circled overhead. Their leader landed a few feet from Jacen as he stood and deactivated his lightsaber.

"You're kidding, right?" Jacen asked. "You show up now? Not when three hostile ships enter your atmosphere?"

"You're welcome, Jacen." The Mandalorian said as he removed his helmet. The young man smoothed back his red hair and grinned at the Jedi. "Admit it, I saved you."

"And how many times have I saved you Kallin?" Jacen asked.

"More than I'd like to admit." Kallin replied.

The two stared at each other, then Jacen began to laugh. Kallin followed suit, and the two shook hands.

"It's been a while." Jacen said.

"It has." Kallin replied "What did we do last, win the Neimoidian civil war by ourselves?"

"Yes." Jacen replied. "Those were the days, weren't they?"

Jacen had never told his cousin, but he and the Mandalorian prince had spent years roaming the Galaxy together, doing whatever it was the Republic thought it was too good to dirty it's hands with. They had saved each other countless times, and Jacen couldn't think of anyone who was a better friend.

"So what brings you here?" Kallin asked.

"Alayna." Jacen replied.

"She's here?" Kallin asked, eyes getting wide. "Kriff, I haven't seen her in over a year."

"Yeah, she's in trouble." Jacen said. "There's some ancient Sith entity that's after her."

"That would explain these guys." Kallin said. "Where is she?"

"She in that cave over…" Jacen began as he turned, but stopped when he saw his cousin running full speed out of the cave.

"Jacen!" Alayna yelled. She stopped in front of him, gasping for breath.

"I figured it out." She said finally. "I figured out why they want me so badly. I know what kind of power I have."

"What?" Jacen said. "How?"

"What do you know about the Jedi Revan?" Alayna asked.

"Revan the Conqueror?" Kallin asked. "He's a legend, a ghost story for young Mandalorians. They say he slaughtered armies and destroyed the entire Mandalorian armada during the Mando-Jedi wars."

"He did that and more." Alayna said. "He was a war hero, a super powerful Jedi, then was tortured to the dark side, slaughtered thousands, but was redeemed. He fought the original Sith Emperor."

"Where are you going with this?" Jacen asked.

"I getting there." Alayna replied. "Revan was married to another Jedi named Bastila. She had this rare ability to strengthen her allies in battle. The two had a son. And that son had a son, and so on and so on. Eventually they fell off the radar of Force sensitivity, but every once in a while their power would come back around. Then about fifty or so years ago, a young woman who was a direct descendant of Bastila and Revan married a merchant on the planet Lothal named Ephraim Bridger. They had a son, who married a Mandalorian and had a daughter. Me."

Alayna watched as shock spread over Jacen's face. "Wait so, you're saying you…" He stuttered. "You're a descendant of Revan?"

"Yes." Alayna replied. "And somehow I managed to inherit all of the Force abilities of both Revan and Bastila. That's why the Sith want me. I'm one of the most naturally powerful Jedi in almost a century."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake as a deep laughter echoed all around them. The temperature began to drop, and a wall of black smoke rose out of the ground. It opened like a curtain, and a shadowy figure made of smoke stepped through.

"Very good, child." The figure laughed. "Now come, let us end this pointless game. Come to Mustafar, and your true power will be realized. Then I can take my place as ruler of this pitiful galaxy."

"And if I don't show up?" Alayna asked with a defiant growl.

The man waved his hand, and Alayna nearly screamed as she saw her parents, bloody and unconscious, suspended in containment fields.

"Then I'm afraid your parents will have to die." The figure said. "Which would be a shame. They would still make good soldiers. You have three rotations."

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed! As always, comment what you like, don't like, and what I can improve on. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Come on Ezra, we have to move!" Sabine yelled as she dragged his bloody, limp body down the hallway.

She could see a hanger at the end, and a ship waiting inside. She yelled in pain as a blaster bolt tore through her shoulder armor, causing her to drop Ezra. As she turned to grab him again, she was hit twice in the chest, sending her to her knees. She heard heavy footsteps approaching and looked up to find a black armored figure wielding a red lightsaber.

"Foolish girl." He said, "You feel all the pain of this, all the suffering. But the worst thing about it? This isn't even your real death."

Sabine let out a scream as she snapped back to reality, finding herself still suspended in a containment field. In front of her, the man that called himself Vitiate laughed.

"Oh you poor thing." He said. "You were so close this time. Much closer than the Jedi."

"Why?" Sabine asked "Why are you doing this?"

"Well it's simple really." Vitiate laughed. "It's been a long time since I played with a mind as strong as yours. Most usually just turn to mush." As he spoke, a hooded man ran in and knelt.

"My lord, they've found her." The man said.

"Excellent." Vitiate laughed. "Well my dear, you've been awake long enough. Back to the nightmares you go."

 **Alayna**

Alayna dropped to her knees as the smoke engulfed the man and her parents before vanishing completely. She couldn't speak, she couldn't hear. She could barely breathe.

She felt someone grab her as she began to fall sideways. It was Jacen, she could tell it was. He said something to her, but she didn't hear it. She was too scared. Scared that she was going to lose the two people that meant everything to her. Scared that she wasn't strong enough.

Everything around her was falling into chaos and darkness, and she couldn't stop it.

Suddenly, something inside of her snapped. It was a strange feeling. She was no longer scared.

She was...angry. Angry at her parents because they had sent her away. Angry at the Sith Emperor for making her life a living hell. But most of all, she was angry at herself, for being so weak and so stupid that she let her parents get captured, let people get killed.

Her hearing came back, and she realized she was screaming. She stopped, and looked around her. Jacen was now standing next to her, Kallin and the other Mandalorians a few feet away. All of them were watching her.

As she looked around, her eyes settled on three Sith, captured alive by Kallins men. Hate shot through her, and she lunged for them, activating both ends of her lightsaber as she did so.

As she swung her lightsaber towards the first man, a golden blade stopped her own.

"Alayna stop!" Jacen yelled as his cousins blade stopped inches from the Sith captive. "You have to fight the hurt! You can let it control you!"

Alayna reacted with her instincts, and swung her saber toward Jacen. Jacen blocked the swing, giving ground. Jacen was easily the better swordsman, but Alayna was in a whole new realm, and for a moment, it looked like she might win.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her right arm. She looked down to see a three inch metal dart sticking out of her shoulder. As the world began to spin and go dark, she saw Kallin holding what she assumed was a dart gun. The last thing she remembered was Jacen catching her as she fell.

Alayna shot up in her bed, not really sure how she had gotten there. For a moment, she didn't realize where she was.

Then she recognized it. It was her mother's old room on the Ghost. Seeing the artwork on the walls made her smile a little, then she began to cry.

"Hey, you're awake." A voice said as someone entered the room.

"What did you shoot me with?" Alayna asked, wiping her eyes quickly as she looked up and recognized Kallin.

"Just a mid grade sedative." Kallin said with a halfway grin. "Our household guards carry it as a non lethal option for trespassers and rowdy people."

"Oh." Alayna said. "Thanks I guess. I probably would've hurt Jacen if you hadn't."

"Of course." Kallin said.

They sat there in an awkward silence for a few moments before Alayna spoke.

"So how long was I out?" She asked.

"A couple hours." Kallin replied. "You haven't missed too much, and you're awake just in time for the rendezvous."

"What do you mean?" Alayna asked.

"Well, we're headed to Concord Dawn." Kallin replied. "I called together my house's forces, and then we called Countess Wren. She is _very_ angry about all this. Her forces will be meeting us as well. Then we head to Mustafar."

"Oh, wow." Alayna said. "I…don't know what to say Kallin. Thank you."

"Hey, you're one of us, even if you don't live in Mando space." Kallin said with a grin.

Another moment of awkward silence passed between them, until Kallin spoke.

"So...do you still hate me?" He asked sheepishly.

Alayna's eyes got wide, and it took her a moment to bring out the right words. There was so much to say.

"I never hated you, Kallin." She said finally. "I mean, I did at first, but only for a little while. I was thirteen and jealous that a fifteen year old liked a girl his age more than me. I know we've seen each other since then, but I've never actually gotten to apologize for the things I said and did, and I'm sorry."

"Wow I...I forgive you." Kallin said. "For most of it. I'm still mad about my Wampa blanket."

Alayna stared at him for a moment, and Kallin began to laugh.

"Oh shut up." Alayan said. "It looked better pink anyway."

"And I still have it, just so you know." Kallin said.

Alayna smiled a little. She wanted to be alone, but she knew Kallin was trying to cheer her up, or at least keep her from thinking about her parents. Plus, she had missed him. They had been friends for years, until the incident. They spent the next few hours sitting around and talking about anything but the current situation.

Eventually, Jacen came in and let them know they were at Concord Dawn. They docked with a Wren transport ship, and Alayna felt relief as she saw the woman standing in the doorway.

"Grandma!" She said, throwing her arms around Ursa Wren.

Ursa, usually the cold, grim leader of Clan Wren, had a side few people knew about. She was a different person with her granddaughter. Warm, open, and caring, she had never hesitated to hug Alayna or dote on her the way grandmothers do. She had admitted to Sabine once that she did it not only because she loved Alayna, but because she felt guilty for not being a better mother to Sabine.

"Alayna." Ursa said as she returned the hug.

"I'm so glad you're here grandma." Alayna said.

"Of course." Ursa replied. "It's time these Sith pay for what they've done to you and your parents."

"How many soldiers do we have?" Alayna asked.

"Between Kryze, Wren, and the New Protectors, we have almost one hundred." Ursa said. "Just say the word, and we'll wipe these animals from the galaxy."

 **A/N: As always, thanks for reading and please leave a review.**

 **P.S. I'm tossing around ideas for a new Sabezra story, so if you have a prompt pm me.**


	9. Chapter9

Alayna sat in the kitchen with her head resting in her hands, clicking through an old holo disk. She had found it in her mother's old room, and was grateful she had. It was a collection of pictures of her parents from during the war. She had seen pictures of her parents as teenagers before, but never like this. Most of these were goofy, in the moment pictures, but they were smiling in all of them, and seeing them smile made her feel better. She heard a door open and looked up to see Kallin walking in.

"Hey." He said. "You're up late."

"I couldn't sleep." Alayna replied.

Kallin sat down at the table across from her, then looked up at the picture. "Who's this guy?" He asked.

Alayna looked up and grinned. It was an up-close picture of Ezra asleep on the couch, mouth open and all. She assumed it had been taken by Sabine.

"Why, you jealous?" She asked.

"No." Kallin said quickly, turning red slightly. "Why? Why would you think that?"

Alayna couldn't help but laugh. "Relax Kallin." She said "That's my dad."

"Oh." Kallin said.

"Yeah" Alayna laughed "I found this old holodisk full of these old pictures." She clicked back a few pictures and found the best one. "This ones my favorite so far."

It was a picture of both Sabine and Ezra, covered in mud and soot, but Ezra has his arm around Sabine and both were smiling happily.

"Wow." Kallin said. "They look so happy."

"Yeah." Alayna said "They do don't they. I have no idea where this was, or what they had done to get that dirty, but I like it."

"Oh wow." A familiar voice said "I haven't seen that picture in years."

Alayna looked up and gasped. "Hera!" She cried happily. "What are you doing here?"

"Well we were nearby, and we've come to help save your parents." Hera said as Alayna ran up and hugged her. "It won't be the first time either." Alayna laughed, then walked back to the table.

"I'm gonna let you to spend some time together." Kallin said "Goodnight Alayna."

"Goodnight." Alayna said Hera followed her to the table and sat next to her.

"So what was this picture about?" Alayna asked. "Was there a big battle?"

"Well, sort of." Hera laughed. "Your parents stole the Phantom and ran off on some adventure that I still don't know all the details too."

"What?" Alayna gasped, her eyes getting wide. "What did you do?"

"Well." Hera laughed "When they slid down the ladder a two days later, covered in mud and soot and looking like they had just destroyed an entire base, I was ready to kill them both. But then they surprised me. Ezra had asked your mother to marry him."

"Wow!" Alayna said "Thats awesome!"

"And that is the only reason they are alive today." Hera said with a laugh.

Alayna laughed too, then a wave of sadness came over her and she started to cry.

"What if I can't save them Hera?" She asked. "What if I fail and I can't stop the Sith?"

"Shh." Hera said, putting her arms around the girl. "I know you can. I believe in you kiddo."

 **Later**

Alayna put the final stroke of paint on her helmet, the looked at her work. She had seen a symbol on the wall of the Jedi temple while meditating in the cave. She had asked Revan about it on the way to Mustufar, and he told her it was the symbol of the old Jedi order. She had spent the better part of the journey putting the symbol on the side of her helmet, but with her own twist. Instead of a single lightsaber, it was a sideways double lightsaber over the wings.

"Hey, we're about two minutes out." Jacen said, poking his head into Alayna's room. "You okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, let's do this." Alayna said as she put on the helmet.

The small fleet of Mandaloian warships exited hyperspace, led by the Ghost. Strangely, they encountered no resistance. But that was the least of their problems.

"Where are they?" Alayna asked. "He didn't tell me how to find them!"

"Calm down Alayna." Jacen said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Theres a scan going right now." As he spoke, an image of a Mandalorian soldier appeared on the console.

"We've found them, sending the coordinates now."

The soldier said, then disappeared. Alayna jumped into the pilots seat and the Ghost shot toward the planet, followed by several Mandalorian Gauntlet fighters. The structure was huge, with two large spikes rising into the sky. Kallin appeared on the console.

"We'll secure the perimeter, then breach and find them." He said.

Three Gauntlets passed the Ghost, and each dropped two squads of Mandaloians. There were a few Sith troops on the landing pad, but they were easily dealt with.

As the Ghost landed, three Sith carrying red lightsabers ran out of the structure. Alayna and Jacen ran out of the Ghost, lightsabers active. They were followed by three Mandalorian soldiers with beskar steel blades designed for fighting lightsabers attached to their arms.

Alayna jumped over the Sith in front of her, catching it off guard. She landed, and used the seconds it gave her to swing her lightsaber low and up, slicing along the mans left leg. The man let out a scream, before she used the momentum of her swing to come back around and stab him as he fell to his knees.

She looked up and realized the other Sith had been dealt with just as easily. She looked at Jacen, then at Kallin, who had joined them.

"Nice paint job." Kallin said.

"Thanks." Alayna said, then turned to the large doors in front of her. She pulled her hand back, and with a burst of Force energy, pushed forward and destroyed the door.

"Woah." Jacen said. "Nice job."

The three of them headed into the structure, followed by two squads of Mandalorian soldiers. The Mandalorians cleared side rooms as they advanced, clearing out pockets of Sith. Eventually they came to another large, open door, but as Alayna stepped through, it shut behind her.

"No!" She cried. She tried to push it open, but something sent the push back at her, sending her down the hallway.

"Well well well." A voice said as she stood. She looked up and saw a hooded figure standing at the other end of the hallway. "Welcome to your fate, Alayna Bridger."


	10. Chapter10

Alayna held her lightsaber up defensively as the man advanced toward her.

"Where are my parents!?" She yelled.

"Oh, they're somewhere in this fortress." The man said, laughing. "Do you know what this place is?"

"No?" Alayna replied "And I don't care."

"Oh, you should." The man laughed. "This used to be the fortress of Darth Vader. It was where he could heal, where he could meditate. But it was more than that."

Suddenly, the hallway around her vanished, and she was alone in the dark.

"This place, it's a Force Nexus." The mans voice echoed. "But it connects one to the Dark Side, not the Light. So with it, I can do…"

The darkness was split, and suddenly, Alayna was falling toward lava. She screamed as she fell, but the instant before she hit, the lava turned into the floor of the hallway, and she smacked against it, hard.

"Anything!" The voice finished with a laugh.

She picked herself up off the floor once again, and she could tell something was broken. But that would have to wait.

A door opened on the far end of the hallway, and she activated her lightsaber as she stumbled towards it. She found herself in a massive open room, with a large window on one side looking out over the obsidian black plains. There was a single bridge crossing the room, and on the far side was a large open door. And through the open door…

"Mom!" Alayna yelled, running across the bridge "Dad!"

They were standing still, their backs turned. As she yelled for them, they both turned, and Alayna stopped in her tracks. She knew something was terribly wrong. Ezra was holding a red lightsaber, and Sabine held the Darksaber. Their eyes were glowing bright red, and they seemed to have shadows trailing out of their bodies.

"Mom?" Alayna said, fighting back tears.

"Well look who finally showed up." Sabine said. But it wasn't really Sabine's voice. More like a raspy recording.

"We waited for days, Alayna." Ezra said, also a raspy recording. "But you never came. You failed. Again."

"No no no!" Alayna cried as she hit her knees.

"Face it Alayna." Sabine said. "You were born into a family of failures. You were always meant to fall to the dark."

"They're fake Alayna." Revans voice said in her ear.

"No!" Alayna screamed. She jumped to her feet and ran toward her parents. "This is just a trick!" She activated her lightsaber and spun, blocking attacks from both parents. As soon as they made contact, she knew it was fake. Neither had the fighting skills of her parents.

Suddenly, a white spectral form of Revan appeared beside her. "Go Alayna." He said "I'll hold the shadows, go stop the Emperor.

She nodded and lunged past the fight, running for the far door. She pushed through what seemed to be a wall of glue, and stumbled into reality.

"No!" A voice yelled. "Damn you Revan!"

Alayna looked up and saw the Sith Emperor, doubled over in what appeared to be pain.

"How?" He asked.

"Because you tormented me for years." Revan said, appearing next to Alayna. "I know every trick you have to use."

Alayna walked toward the Emperor, lightsaber humming gently. "I expected a fight." She said.

"What, with this form?" The Emperor laughed. "This fool is weak. But it's alright, I already have another in mind."

The man shuddered, and a red spectral figure flew out. Instinctively, Alayna reached out with the Force and grabbed the figure by the neck. She succeeded, and slammed it against the wall.

Here was the form that had brought her so much pain, anger, and suffering over the last few weeks. It was all about to come to an end. With a yell, she stabbed her lightsaber hilt deep into the now semi solid figure. The figure let out a shriek, then exploded, sending her flying backwards.

As she stood up, she looked around the room. Revan was still there, a seemingly solid form, looking at the body of the man that had played host to the Emperor.

"What a waste." He said softly.

"Is that it?" Alayna asked. "Is he dead?"

Revan shook his head and sighed. "Sadly, no. He cannot he killed, and there are probably more fragments of him. For now though, he is defeated."

"I guess that's all we can do." Alayna said.

She and Revan walked back out of the room, across the bridge, and down the hallway. As they approached the door, Revan stopped.

"I have to leave you, at least in this physical form anyway. The Nexus ends beyond this door. But you can always find me through the Force."

Alayna nodded, understanding. "Thank you Revan." She said.

Revan nodded, then faded away. Alayna turned and opened the door. She walked back through the fortress, until she found the landing pad.

"Mom!" She yelled in excitement and relief.

"Alayna!" Sabine said, turning and catching her daughter in a hug. "I'm so proud of you Alayna."

"Where's dad?" Alayna asked.

"He's on the Ghost. He was hurt worse than I was, but he'll be okay." Sabine replied.

They walked into the Ghost, where they found Ezra sitting in a wheelchair next to the kitchen table, talking with Kanan, Hera, and Jacen.

"Dad!" Alayna said, carefully hugging him.

"Hey kiddo." Ezra said. "Good job today."

"How did you get out?" She asked. "Jacen and Kallin found us." Ezra replied. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see a group of armed Mandalorians."

"Watch it." Sabine said with a laugh.

Alayna laughed too, then realized something. It was the first time they had been a happy family together in a long time. And she was thankful for it.

Deep in the Unknown Regions

The old cruiser drifted aimlessly, it's engines long frozen over with ice from three thousand years in the void of space. Suddenly, a faint signal was detected. The droid that ran the ship rebooted itself from hibernation. This was what it had been waiting for. The Emperor called. The time had come to re-light the great forges. It was time for the Empire to truly return.

 **A/N: Well, I know it took a while, but I hope you still enjoyed it. I have some more time on my hands now, so I'm cooking up another story or two. As always, thanks for reading and please review.**


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